Stone Cold
by nikkipattinson
Summary: Sequel to TURN TO STONE! Edward and Bella have their HEA, but life isn't a fairy tale... especially for the sons of Edward, Sr. Can Edward and Bella's love survive when Edward is pulled back into a life he thought that he'd left behind for good? Will they get out of this with their lives... or their sanity? Rated M for violence and other mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

_Well, here it is... the sequel to _Turn to Stone. _I wanted to finish _Have a Little Faith _before I committed to this. I hope that you all enjoy _Stone Cold _as much as _TtS_ and that I don't disappoint. _

**No copying of this work, no reproduction of this work, no created downloads of this work, and/or no linking of this work to another website is allowed without the express written permission of the author.**

**_Stone Cold _copyright 2012 nikkipattinson**

_**Stone Cold**_

Chapter 1 – Oh

_I love you oh so well  
Like a kid loves candy and fresh snow  
I love you oh so well  
Enough to fill up heaven overflow and fill hell  
Love you oh so well_

Dave Matthews

I end the call and place the phone back in the case that is clipped to my belt. "He's so excited," I say with a laugh.

Bella reaches across the console of her Maxima and squeezes my knee. "He isn't the only one," she says with a knowing smile.

I _am_ excited. My brother's garage opens today. Well, in truth, it's been open for a few weeks, but this is the 'Grand Opening.' Jacob is over the moon. It's a dream come true for him. He's been planning this day for years.

I remember when I met him and his mother, Billie.

It was just after my... our father died. I found that life insurance policy and those trust papers in that safe in Father's office and my life changed. I had no idea that Father had another family that he had supported for almost twenty years.

I could have been angry. I could have made their lives difficult. I could have done a lot of horrible things. I could have been my father. But I'm not my father, so I did the right thing. I gave them the money and they gave me their acceptance.

That's not to say that the road to becoming brothers in all senses of the word has been easy. Jacob still doesn't understand why I have such animosity toward Father. I still can't comprehend that the asshole had a heart and actually loved someone besides himself. Jacob and I have agreed to disagree. We don't talk about it.

This day has been a long time coming. Jacob finished business school a year ago. He worked for A-1 Automotive in Forks while he was in school and for about six months after he graduated before finding a piece of land about five miles outside of the Quileute Reservation. It's near the house where he grew up.

He called me the day that he saw the 'for sale' sign go up on the lot. I drove the almost two hours to meet him and a realtor at the site. I could see how excited he was about the prospect of building a state-of-the-art garage there. He talked so animatedly about how he could get business from the reservation as well as from town. He said that it was just perfect. I thought he was right, but that the price was a little high.

In the end, he bought it for the asking price and didn't bat an eye. When I voiced my disapproval he shrugged and told me that it was just money. He could make more; very un-father-like.

The construction company broke ground three months ago. Jacob quit his job and devoted all of his time to making sure that everything was perfect. He travelled all over Washington to find the best equipment. He interviewed countless mechanics. He had hoped to get a couple of guys from the reservation, to maybe bring in business. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. There was still some prejudice toward him and Billie because of our father.

Jacob opened the doors three weeks ago. It took a few days, but people began to come. Then it happened.

I was there going over some incorporation papers with Jacob when the young Native American girl came in. I glanced up when I saw the movement, but went back to the papers. Jacob, on the other hand, looked up and never looked away. When I finally noticed that he wasn't paying any attention to me anymore, I looked at his face. He was staring slack jawed out into the reception area. That's when I turned and got a good look at the girl.

I have to admit, she was beautiful; this coming from the man who's married to the most beautiful woman in the world. I can see why Jacob's ADD kicked in. He didn't say a word to me as he stepped around me and out of the room. I watched with a smirk as he approached the girl, who was talking to Tyler. He motioned for Tyler to go back to work and took over the consultation.

It took him almost half an hour to finally come back to the office. By then, I had logged onto his computer and was looking through the pre-voir dire cards that Rosalie had scanned and emailed to me the day before. I looked up and just shook my head.

"Well?" I asked.

"Well, what?" he asked as he picked up the incorporation papers. "So where do I sign?"

"Oh, hell no," I said as I closed the file and my email. "You're not getting off that easy. Tyler had that situation under control. You went out there for a reason. Spill it, Jacob."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, but I could see the color fill his cheeks.

"What's her name and please tell me that you got her phone number."

"Her name is Leah Clearwater and yes, I got her number. I have to be able to call her when the work is done."

"And that's the only reason you're going to call her?"

He looked up at me and smiled. "I can probably think of other reasons to call her."

Jacob called her that night. They went on their first date the following Friday. They've been almost inseparable for almost a month now.

That's not to say that there haven't been some issues.

Jacob isn't exactly the most popular person on the res. It has absolutely nothing to do with Jacob himself. Most people there don't even know him; they just know _of _him and his mother. They've heard the rumors, most of which are not true.

If Leah's father, Harry Clearwater, were alive, she and Jacob probably wouldn't have been allowed to see each other. But Sue Clearwater, Leah's mother, and Billie had been close friends. Sue knows that the rumors aren't true. She knows that Jacob and Billie are good people. She not only approves of the relationship... she encourages it.

As Bella and I pull into the parking lot of the garage, I can barely see the top of Jacob's head through the crowd. There are balloons and streamers everywhere. The local radio station is set up to do a remote broadcast, so the air is filled with music. We open the doors of the car and the scent of grilled burgers enters, making my mouth water. I see Billie sitting at a table handing out tickets. Jacob is raffling off two vintage motorcycles that he restored when he was in school.

Bella finds her dad and my mom on the outskirts of the crowd. I know how this type of situation still bothers her. She's gotten better about having me behind her. She doesn't mind when I put my arms around her and pull her to me for a hug. But other people... not so much. She still has panic attacks if someone she doesn't know stands too closely behind her. I leave her with Charlie and Mom as I try to make my way to Jacob.

I throw my hand up and wave to my brother, who's surrounded by a crowd. Most of the people are from Forks, some are from Peninsula College where Jacob received his degrees, but scant few are from the reservation. He waves back at me with the spatula.

As I make my way through the crowd, I see Leah standing to Jacob's right. She's cheerfully handing out food. I watch as Jacob leans out from behind the grill and kisses her on top of the head; something else we seem to have inherited. She smiles up at him. Their expressions are pleasantly familiar. They look at each other like Bella and I do. They're in love.

As I get closer I hear Jacob call out, "Hey, guys, let my brother through."

Several heads turn and look at me suspiciously. Jacob and I get strange looks a lot; especially when we call each other 'brother.' It's hard for people to reconcile that a tall, skinny, ginger-haired, white boy (Cynthia's description not mine) is even related to an much taller, broad-shouldered, dark-haired, dark-skinned, behemoth like Jacob, much less his brother. But after seeing us together for five minutes, with our too-similar-to-be-a-coincidence tics and expressions, people start to say that they see it.

I break through the crowd and walk around the grill to shake Jacob's hand. He pulls me into a hug, pounding me soundly on the back.

"Hi, Leah," I say when Jacob finally releases me.

"We're so glad you could make it, Edward," she says. "Where's Bella?"

"She's not great with crowds. She found Charlie and my mom." I point to the outskirts of the frenzy. Mom and Bella wave to me.

"That still weirds you out, doesn't it?" Jacob asks.

"I'm... getting better with it," I reply slowly. Not long after the Cavanaugh trial my mom and Bella's dad started officially dating. About six months ago, Mom bought a house in Forks to be closer to him.

"She's really happy. It's probably the first time she's been happy in decades."

"I know," I mumble.

"That's the only reason you're trying to be okay with it, isn't it?"

"Yep," I say with a pop. "Can we not talk about it?"

"They're both adults..."

"Not talking about it," I almost scream. I reach into the cooler at Jacob's feet and take out a Sprite.

"Not talking about it won't make it go away," Jacob teases. He slaps me hard on the back causing me to spill my drink. "Just think, Ed, we could have a much younger brother or sister real soon." He laughs hysterically at my expression. I seriously don't want to think about my mom and Charlie having kids.

I swap the Sprite from my right hand to my left and shake off the sticky liquid. "For God's sake, they're in their sixties!" I exclaim as I wipe my hand on my jeans.

"I saw an article on-line about a woman having a baby at sixty-one."

I turn to see who said that. A Native American boy, he couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen, is smirking at me. He looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. I had a similar response the first time I saw Jacob. This reaction gives me a moment's pause.

"Hey, Seth," Jacob says. "This is my brother, Edward. Edward, this is Leah's little brother... Seth."

_Ah_, I think,_ that's why he looks familiar. What a relief!_

"It's nice to meet you," I say as I extend my hand.

He shakes my hand and asks, "You're the lawyer, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"You did the Cavanaugh case, right?"

"Well," I start, "I was involved, but I didn't actually 'do' the case."

"You're the one who figured it out, though. I followed the whole thing!"

"The kid wants to be a lawyer too," Jacob says as he motions toward Seth with the spatula.

"It's a noble profession. But I don't really do much 'lawyering' anymore."

"Really? After that case I figured that you'd be turning business away," Seth says with an expression of disbelief.

"I found that I could make a bigger difference in another capacity. I help other attorneys with jury selection and I do some mediation work."

During my eighteen month suspension, I started working with Rosalie at the D.A.'s office. I helped them during voir dire or jury selection. I found that I enjoyed the process. I took some psychology and sociology classes at U Dub; not enough to earn a degree, but enough to understand human nature.

Cynt, on the other hand, went several steps further. I could never convince her to go to law school, but she took one psychology class with me and was hooked. She received her degree in psychology last year and is a year into her master's degree.

We went into business together a month after she graduated. A law degree isn't necessary to be a mediator, so Cynt and I split the work. It doesn't hurt that she has a background in private investigation. Together, we've built one of the most sought after jury selection and mediation practices in the area, Williams and Masen. She refused to take second billing; I refused to argue. After all, Cynthia Williams saved my life... more than once.

"Sounds boring," Seth says with a frown.

"Ever watch 'Jerry Springer'?" I ask. He nods. I smirk. "Mediation is far from boring."

"Okay, okay, enough bothering Edward. Get back to work," Jacob says to Seth. I watch the boy's face fall.

"Hey," I say as take out a business card, "if you ever want to watch jury selection and a trial, give me a call. I'm sure that Rosalie wouldn't mind if you sat in."

His eyes light up. "Thanks!" he exclaims as he takes the card.

"Seth... work!" Jacob points to the garage.

"Okay, okay. Jeez." The boy trudges away.

"You shouldn't encourage him like that," Jacob mutters.

"Why not?"

"Edward, he's dyslexic and his grades are crap. He'll be lucky to get into a trade school."

"You don't know that," I say defensively. "Being dyslexic doesn't mean that he's not smart. It just means that he has to work harder. You never know... he could be the greatest attorney ever. Don't discount him just because he has a learning issue."

"I tell him that all the time," Leah says. "Seth can be anything that he wants to be."

"I didn't say that he couldn't. I just think that he needs... we all need to be realistic. He should have a trade to fall back on. What happens when we no longer need lawyers?"

"We'll always need lawyers," I say with a roll of my eyes.

"Let's say that we don't. What will people still need?" He waits for us to answer. When we don't, he huffs and shakes his head. "Transportation. We will always need transportation... vehicles. Learning to be a top-notch mechanic is a guaranteed profession. We will always be needed and there are too few of us now. He should focus on that."

"You don't believe in him," Leah whispers.

Jacob places the spatula he's been using to emphasize his point on the platter next to the grill. He wraps his arms around Leah and says, "Sweetheart, I love Seth like he were my brother too. I know that he's smart. I see him working. He picks everything up so quickly. But I also see him struggling with his school work. College is hard; law school is harder. I just think that he should focus on something that he's good at and that could make him a living."

Leah sighs. "I know you're right, but I don't want him to stop dreaming."

"None of us do," I say. "I'm serious about him watching a trial. He should call me. I think that he'd love it."

"Thank you, Edward."

I look past the crowd and find Bella. She smiles and points toward the radio broadcast van. That's when I notice the song they're playing; "Oh" by Dave Matthews. I smile and find Bella's eyes. She mouths, _I miss you_. I pat Jacob on the back and tell him that I'll talk to him later. I push through the growing crowd and find my wife.

I wrap her in my arms and whisper to her, "'I love you oh so well."

"Yes, you do," she whispers back.

I look at her perfect face and trace the line of her lips with my finger. "You're beautiful today."

"As opposed to every other day," she teases.

"Every day that you allow me to love you is a day that you grow more and more beautiful."

"You silver tongued devil," she says with a smile.

"You like my tongue," I mumble as I lean in to kiss her.

"I love your tongue," she says as our lips meet.

I hear Charlie clear his throat. I break the kiss and turn toward my father-in-law and my mother.

"I know that you're married, but she's still my little girl," he says with a raised eyebrow.

"And she's my mother," I say as I look down at their joined hands.

Charlie blushes and says, "Point taken."

"How's Jacob?" my mother asks. It's been a while in the making, but Mom has finally come to some kind of peace about Jacob and Billie. I think that she just needed to find someone who loves and respects her. She needed someone to make her happy. As uncomfortable as it still makes me, Charlie is that person. I have to admit, he's good to her. He treats her like a queen. I guess I couldn't ask for a better potential step-father... I just wish he wasn't also my father-in-law. It's like a bad redneck joke.

"He's over-the-moon," I say with a laugh. "You should go say 'hi.' Billie's handing out raffle tickets."

"We're kind of waiting for the crowd to thin out," Charlie says as he looks around the parking lot. "We may be waiting a while."

"We thought that we got here early, but it's been like this for an hour or more," Mom replies. "That's a good sign, right?"

"I think so," I say as I too look around.

"Why don't you get the chairs out of the truck, Charlie? Edward can help."

"That's the only reason you keep us 'men-folk' around... the heavy lifting," Charlie teases. He kisses my mother on the cheek before motioning for me to follow him. I cut my eyes toward Bella. She's smirking at me. She doesn't think it's weird at all.

Charlie and I set up the chairs on the outskirts of the crowd. Several people come by to speak to Charlie and my mother. A few of Bella's friends from high school who still live in the area stop to catch up with her. No one speaks of the rape; I'm grateful that we're finally putting it behind us.

It's well into the afternoon when the crowd finally starts to disperse. Jacob comes over and pulls Bella into a hug.

"Hey, sis. Have you been keeping him in line?"

"Barely," she teases. "You know that's a full time job. Today has been amazing, Jacob. I'm so proud!"

"We're all proud for you, Jacob," Mom says.

Jacob looks at my mother and smiles. "Thanks, Elizabeth, that means a lot. And thank you for being here. It's nice to have family here to share this with me."

Mother smiles shyly. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world, Jacob." She glances behind him. "I should go say 'hi' to Billie."

"I think that she'd like that," he replies. Jacob and I have talked about how uncomfortable his mother still feels around my mother. Billie doesn't know how Elizabeth could ever forgive her. I think it's a testament to Mom's character that she can. In any case, Mom tries her best to put them both at ease. She's truly not angry anymore. If anything, she's happy that I have more people to love me and take care of me.

Jacob turns back to us. "Well, I think this was a success. I might just be able to make a go of this after all."

"I have no doubt that you will be extremely successful," Leah says as she wraps her arms around him from behind. "There were even a few people from the res here. Did you see Sam?"

"Who's Sam?" I ask.

"He's the sheriff on the reservation."

Jacob frowns and says, "He and Leah used to date."

"That was a long time ago; before I met you." Leah stands on her tip-toes and kisses Jacob's cheek. "You're the only man for me, love bunny."

Jacob's eyes go wide. "Love bunny?" I exclaim. "Seriously? Love bunny? Oh my God, I'm so using that!"

He lunges for me and I duck under his arms as I leap from my chair. "Too slow, too slow! And I thought bunnies were fast." I take off in a full sprint as Jacob chases me.

~*~*~* SC *~*~*~

It's been almost a month since Jacob's Grand Opening. By all accounts, the garage is a huge success. Jacob and his crew do quality work and their prices are far more reasonable than the other places in Forks and on the res. He's even managed to hire a couple of Seth's friends to work part-time after school.

I've been with Rosalie most of the day seating the jury for a rape case that she's prosecuting. We stopped by the Judge's Chambers afterward for a drink (she had a drink... I had a Sprite) and to discuss how she was thinking about proceeding with this one. After a rocky start, Rosalie and I have come to a professional understanding; she's a bitch and I'm useful. She finally, after many years of working together, realizes that I do have a lot of experience defending criminals; therefore, I'm a useful ally to keep in her pocket. I realize that she's always going to treat me like a bastard, no matter how much I help her. It's our own special kind of friendship. We don't really like each other, but we work together and play nice for the sakes of our spouses.

I'm finally on my way home to my lovely bride when my cell phone rings. I touch the hands-free button on my steering wheel and answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Edward?" the voice on the other line says through her sobs.

"Billie, is that you?"

"Oh, God, Edward, you have to come. He's been arrested."

"What? Who? Billie, you aren't making any sense. What's happened?"

"Jacob's been arrested. You have to come and help him."

"Why has he been arrested? What's the charges?"

"Oh, Edward, it's awful. He's been arrested for murder. You have to come."

"I'm on my way." I disconnect the call and immediately command the car to call "home." It rings twice before Bella answers.

"Did you and Rose have fun?" she asks forgoing the customary greeting.

"No more than usual. I have to go to Forks. Can you be ready in five minutes? I need you to stay with Billie."

"Slow down, Edward. What's going on?"

"I'm sorry. Jacob has been arrested. Billie called me for help."

"Arrested? Why?"

"I don't have all the details. All Billie could tell me was that he is in jail on a murder charge."

"Murder? Jacob? Seriously? There's no way."

"That's my thoughts exactly. I need to get to him before they start questioning him. And I need you to sit with Billie."

"Sure... of course. Have you called my dad?"

"Shit, I hadn't even thought of that. Let me do that. I'm on my way to the house."

"I'll meet you at the door. I love you."

"I love you too." I end the call and take a few deep breaths. It's been a while since I've defended a murder, but I know that the police start questioning suspects almost immediately. I know that Jacob is innocent and I know my brother. He'll tell them whatever they want to know thinking that he's clearing his name, just to have it twisted into a confession by the prosecution. I have to get there quickly to make sure that he doesn't say anything to the cops.

"Charlie," I command the car to call. After five rings, I disconnect. "Damn, where is he?" I think a minute. "Mom," I say. The phone rings four times and I'm about to disconnect when my mother breathlessly answers.

"Edward, are you on your way?"

"Mom, where are you?"

"Charlie and I are with Billie. Are you on your way?"

"Yes. I'm picking up Bella and then we'll be there. I need to talk to Charlie."

I hear my mom call Charlie to the phone. "Hi, Edward. This is bad," Charlie says as he takes the phone from my mother.

"I know. Can you get a message to Jacob? I don't want him to talk to anyone until I get there."

"Edward, we didn't pick him up. The tribal police did. He's in the jail on the res. I have no authority there."

I sit in stunned silence. "Why did _they_ arrest him? Was he on the reservation?"

Charlie doesn't say anything for a long minute. I hear a door open and then close. When he finally speaks, it's barely above a whisper. "I don't know a lot of the details, but Leah's little brother didn't come home the night before last. He'd stayed late at the garage with Jacob working on one of the cars. Apparently, he missed his ride and decided to walk home. The last time I talked to Jacob, before he was arrested, he told me that he offered to drive Seth home, but the kid refused. Jacob was at the Clearwater's helping with the search when he was arrested. I haven't talked to him since."

"Is...?" I pause because I really don't want to know. "Charlie, who's dead?"

My worst fears are confirmed when Charlie finally says, "Seth."

_**Stone Cold**_

_Well? Is your interest piqued? I hope it is! Let know what you think._

_Also, I didn't have the falling out with _Twilighted_ that I had anticipated, therefore, I would like to post this story there as well as here. But you guys know how I am... I want an __AWESOME__ banner! So, calling all banner makers! Contact me through PM or a review._

_**Turn to Stone** _has been nominated for top ten favourite fics for July at **twifanfictionrecs . com. **Please Vote!

**_Please see my Profile for the link._**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**No copying of this work, no reproduction of this work, no created downloads of this work, and/or no linking of this work to another website is allowed without the express written permission of the author.**

**Stone Cold copyright 2012 nikkipattinson**


	2. Chapter 2

A huge 'thank you' to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of _Stone Cold_. I am posting on Twilighted as well. I have a few poor excuses for banners (my attempts), but I would love a beautiful one from one of you guys. PM me if you're interested.

_**Stone Cold**_

Chapter 2 – Deed is Done

_Oh so I pray, oh at night_

_ I wake up praying, all day light_

_ I pray to you, and hear my request_

_ I ask of you, to save this baby_

Dave Matthews

~*~*~*~*~ _**SC**_ ~*~*~*~*~

I feel all of the air leave my body. This can't be happening. I had just met the kid a few weeks ago. He can't be dead.

"Edward, are you still there?" Charlie asks.

"Oh, um, yeah. I just can't believe it. Do you know what happened? How's Leah?" Oh my God, Leah... and Jacob.

"I don't know anything else," Charlie replies. "The tribal police tend to want to handle everything internally. They won't even let me on the reservation in my official capacity. I can go as a regular citizen, but they won't tell me anything. You'll probably have a better chance of getting details as Jacob's attorney."

"Has Billie talked to Leah or Sue?"

"Their home phone has been busy for hours and none of their cell phones are on. I can just imagine what they're thinking."

"I'm almost at the house. Bella and I will be there as soon as possible. I don't plan on driving the speed limit."

"I'll fix your tickets. Just be careful."

"I will. Call me if you find out anything before we get there."

I turn into the driveway and see Bella waiting at the door. She picks up her purse from the steps and checks the door to make sure that it's locked. I've barely stopped the car when she jumps in.

I turn to give her a quick kiss. She reciprocates but then says, "Go, Masen, you're wasting valuable time. Get this car on the road."

I smile and shift the car into reverse as I pull back onto the road for the trip to Forks. I love how far she's come. I remember when I first met Bella. She was so shy and introverted. I didn't know then what had happened to her. I didn't know how I had caused it. It's a miracle that she's forgiven me and still loves me. I'm still working on forgiving myself for what I did.

I've been in counseling with Dr. Kate Stricklin since before the Cavanaugh trial. I only agreed to go because Dr. Arrington wouldn't release me from the hospital if I didn't. She was under the impression that I tried to kill myself. I still maintain that I was not trying to commit suicide. I was merely trying to drink away my memory. Regardless, she referred me to Kate who proved to be far more helpful than I had anticipated.

A few weeks after James Cavanaugh was sentenced, Bella asked Kate to recommend a counselor. We had both thought that the night terrors would end when James was behind bars, but they didn't. Bella finally decided that she should probably talk to someone. Kate gave her the name and number of a colleague, Dr. Adrienne Turner.

The first several months were horrible. Memories that Bella had suppressed came to the surface. She railed against me at times; blamed me... rightly so. We fought. I groveled. We both begged for forgiveness, although she had done nothing that I needed to forgive. I can't count the nights that I held her while she wept.

Bella had been seeing Dr. Turner for eight months when she turned the corner. She realized that the reason she was trying to blame everyone, especially me, for what James had done to her was because she still blamed herself. She still thought that she had in some way caused the rape to happen. Dr. Turner helped her to see that it was never her fault or my fault, it was always James. Bella was the victim; she had done nothing wrong. Bella doesn't blame me anymore. I'm still working on doing the same.

Since her breakthrough, a new Bella has emerged. Well, she's new to me. Alice says that before the rape, Bella was outgoing and out spoken. She was confident and assertive. This is the Bella that is beginning to emerge and I love it. I didn't think that I could fall more in love with her, but I was wrong. I love her more and more every day.

I reach over and take her hand. "Thank you for coming with me. I have no idea what we're walking into."

"You said that he was arrested for murder? Who did he supposedly kill?"

I shake my head. "Leah's little brother, Seth."

"The kid at the grand opening? The one that was working for him after school?" I nod. "Okay, what alternate universe have we entered and how do we get back to our own? There is absolutely no way that he was even involved in this. He loves Leah... and Seth. Jacob would never kill him or anyone for that matter. There's been a mistake."

"I agree. That's why I'm driving well over the speed limit to try to get to him before he says anything to the police. They won't tell him what evidence they have against him, but they'll ask very specific questions to try to get him to confess. I have to make sure that he doesn't say anything."

"What evidence _do _they have against him?" she asks.

"I don't' know," I reply.

"Dad didn't tell you?"

I look over at her. "Your dad didn't arrest him."

"Now I'm lost. Where is he? Who arrested him?"

"The tribal police have him. Jacob was on the rez with Leah. Your dad told me that Jacob had been the last to see Seth and was helping with the search when he was arrested. He didn't know anything else. He's going to call if he hears anything."

"Has anyone talked to Leah?"

"No. Not her or Sue. I have a feeling that they've taken the phones off the hook and turned off their cells for a reason."

"This has got to be horrible for them; first Harry and now Seth. I really hope that they don't think that Jacob did this."

I squeeze her hand. "What would you think if it were me that had been arrested for murder? What if the victim was Alice?"

Bella stares down at our joined hands and doesn't answer. When she finally looks up at me she says, "I've known you a lot longer than Leah has known Jacob. I know that you'd never kill anyone."

I glance over at her and smirk. "If someone tried to hurt you... I'd kill them, Bella."

"Okay, you'd never kill someone unless you were provoked. I know this about you... now. I'm not sure what I would have thought if you had been arrested when we first started seeing each other. Remember how I reacted when you walked out of my apartment and I didn't hear from you for days?" I wince at the memory. "When you don't know someone all that well, you're quick to jump to the wrong conclusions... bad conclusions."

"So, what's Leah thinking?" I ask.

She sighs and says, "We have to hurry."

Bella and I turn into the driveway at Billie's house a little over an hour and a half after we left Seattle. A few months after she received her inheritance, Billie bought a twenty-five acre farm on the outskirts of Forks. The house is on the very back of the property. Jacob is building a house on the front of the property.

Charlie meets us at the car. He hugs Bella as she gets out of the passenger seat.

"Have you heard anything else?" I ask as I walk around the car.

"No. I called Sam, but I had to leave a message. He hasn't called me back. I can't believe that this is happening. Poor Sue."

"I would go in and say something to Billie, but I really need to get to Jacob. I know how to get to the reservation, but I've never been to the police station. How do I get there?"

"I'll go with you," Charlie replies. "I may not be able to do anything officially, but maybe some of the deputies will talk. I'm friends with a few of them. I might be able to get some information."

"Thanks, Charlie." I kiss Bella and say, "We'll be back as soon as we can. Maybe I'll have Jacob with me."

"Take as long as you need; we'll be here."

I nod and get back in the car. Charlie directs me through the reservation to the police station.

I park in a space at the side of the brick building. It's small and I wonder if they even have a holding cell inside. Charlie and I enter the building and I walk up to the first officer I see.

"Hi, I'm Edward Masen." I hand him one of my business cards. "I'm here to see Jacob Black. I've been retained to serve as his attorney."

The officer looks at my card and then back up at me. He cocks one eyebrow and then says, "I'll be right back."

I turn to Charlie. He glances around and says, "I'll be outside."

I toss him the keys to my car. "Just in case you need to take a drive," I say pointedly. He nods and slips out the door.

Several minutes pass and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll even be allowed to see Jacob, when a door opens and a large Native American man with shoulder length black hair steps into the lobby. I recognize him immediately.

"Hi, Sam," I say as I extend my hand. "I'm here to see Jacob."

He looks at my hand but doesn't take it. "I didn't know that the murderer had called you. I thought he called his whore mother."

I glare at him. "Don't you dare say anything about Billie Black. You don't know anything about her or her circumstances."

"I know that I've got her half-breed son dead to rights on this murder charge. Ain't nothing you can do to get him out of this one, Masen. I've got enough evidence to put him in prison for the rest of his life."

"And what would that evidence be exactly?"

Sam smiles. His expression sends chills up my spine. "He's waiting in interrogation room two for you. Paul can show you the way." He walks past me and exits the room through another door. I turn to see an officer motioning for me to follow him.

Paul opens the door and I see Jacob sitting at the table with his head in his hands. I thank Paul as he closes the door.

"Jacob?"

"Edward! Oh thank God. Mama called you, right? You know that I didn't do this. I couldn't do this.

I sit across from him. As I look across the table at Jacob, I say. "That doesn't matter."

"It matters to me!" he exclaims. "What hope do I have if my own brother doesn't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe you, Jacob. It's just that it's not important," I say as I try to explain it to him. "What's important is getting you out of here as soon as possible."

"It's fucking important," he screams, using language that my brother very rarely if ever uses. He stands suddenly and begins pacing the room. "I didn't do this, Edward."

"I know and we'll prove it... later. Right now, I need to know a few things so that I can maybe get you out of here tonight."

He leans his forehead against the wall by the door. I can see that he's fighting tears. "I can only imagine what Leah thinks... what she's going through. I should be there for her." He turns to look at me. "But how can I, Edward?"

"Jacob, you have got to let Leah's family take care of her and focus on yourself. If there was ever a time in your life to be selfish, this is it."

"I didn't do it, Edward," he says again.

I sigh and nod my head. "I know." I give in finally and say, "I believe you. It doesn't change anything right now."

He collapses back into his chair. "Who _would_ do this? He was just a kid."

"That's what we have to figure out... later. Right now all I care about is getting you out of here and back home... as soon as possible. I've never tried a case on a reservation before. I don't know how bail hearings work here. Surely we can get a magistrate or a judge here by tomorrow at the latest. You're record is clean so maybe I can get you released on your own recognizance."

"Do you honestly think that will happen?" he says with a smirk. It was the same smirk that our father had whenever I said something he thought was ridiculous. The most prominent trait that Jacob inherited from Father are his eyes and they are expressive. Set in Senior's face, those grey-blue eyes were menacing and intimidating. Against the backdrop of Jacob's dark skin and framed with his dark brown hair, his eyes become almost frightening at times. Sometimes I look at Jacob and I see Senior. It's not pleasant.

I flinch inside at the expression of ridicule and derision in Jacob's eyes. "Everyone knows that I have money. If they do let me out, it will be for an exorbitant amount... I'm sure," he says as he rolls his eyes and turns to stare at the wall.

"I'm going to ask. It never hurts to ask, right?" I say with a chuckle. He turns and glares at me. "I'm sorry. I know that this isn't funny. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"Lighten the mood... really? Edward, I hate to state the obvious, but I've been arrested for something that I didn't do. I don't think this is the time to joke around." He drops his head to the table in front of us. "Why is this happening?"

"I have to ask, Jacob. Do you have any enemies who would want to frame you for this?"

He looks up and says, "All the men over the age of twenty on the rez, I would imagine. None of them like that Leah and I are seeing each other."

I nod. "This would put a damper on the relationship."

"Yeah," he says sarcastically. "Killing her little brother would be a reason to dump me. I didn't kill Seth, Edward. You have to help me."

"That's why I'm here. Has anyone questioned you yet?"

"Yeah, Sam did." He looks up at me. "That was _so _much fun."

"Why is that?"

"He calls me 'half-breed'." Jacob rolls his eyes. "I'm well aware that I don't have 'pure blood' but I'm still legally a Quileute." He shakes his head. "It's just aggravating. I know he's trying to get a rise out of me and it was getting harder and harder to stay calm. I'm glad you showed up when you did."

"What did he ask you?"

"What I did after Seth left the other night. Where I'd been. Where I was last night. If I'd been on the res any before today. Stuff like that."

"And what did you do?"

"I answered him," he says matter-of-factly. I slap my forehead. "What? I have nothing to hide. I didn't do this."

"Don't ever answer their questions. Don't submit to any tests. From now on out, if they ask you anything tell them to contact your attorney. You are not to speak to them. Do you understand?"

"Why? I have nothing to hide. If I tell them everything I know, then they'll have to let me go."

"That isn't how it works, Jacob. They'll take what you say and twist it around to fit their case. Remember, 'everything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law.'" I see the look of confusion on his face. "They did read you your _Miranda_ rights, didn't they?"

"I can't remember. It was all a blur. I was in Leah's dining room looking at a map of the reservation one minute and in the back of the police car the next. They may have, but I don't know."

"Have you signed anything?"

"Yeah. I signed something after they fingerprinted me. Why?"

"Well, you probably signed a form saying that you'd been read your rights and that you understood them. What exactly have you told them so far?"

"I told them that Seth left the garage after six Tuesday night. I tried to get him to let me drive him home, but he said that he wanted to walk it. It's not really that far. I finished cleaning up our mess and then I changed my clothes. I called Leah on the way home and told her that Seth had insisted on walking home. I figured that he'd already be there, but he wasn't. It had been over an hour since he'd left. Leah said that he'd probably stopped at a friend's house. We talked on the phone for a few more minutes and then we hung up. I ate dinner with Mama, took a shower, and then went to bed.

"Leah called and woke me up around one Wednesday morning. She said that Seth hadn't come home and that none of his friends had seen him. I jerked on my clothes and drove to her house. She and I drove back to the garage and started out on foot with flashlights on the route that Seth probably would've taken to get home. We walked all the way to their house and then back. There was no sign of him. We drove back to the house and called the tribal police to report him missing."

"Did they come right to the house or did they tell you guys that you had to wait twenty-four hours to report a missing person?"

"Sam came right to the house. He got there pretty quick; before we finished talking to the dispatcher. He called the tribe elders and they organized a search party. I stayed with Leah while everyone else fanned out across the res. We had been waiting all morning and most of the afternoon when Sam came back and arrested me."

"How did that go down?"

"It was the most pleasant experience of my life," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I glare at him. "Sorry. I'm just stressed. I still can't believe that this is happening."

He takes a deep breath and I notice for the first time that he winces. "Did he hit you?" I ask.

"Let's just say that he wasn't exactly gentle. He didn't take my hand and say 'Oh, Jacob, I must arrest you. Please let me place these cuffs on you and then you can gingerly sit yourself in the back of my patrol car.'"

"What did he do, Jacob?"

"Like I said, Leah and I were in the dining room looking at the map. We heard the door slam open and the next thing I knew Sam had practically tackled me onto the table. He pressed my face into the surface and demanded to know why I did it. I had no idea what he was talking about so I asked him what was going on. He punched me in the side and said that I had murdered Seth."

"What did you say?"

"I don't remember exactly. I think maybe I asked him what he was talking about. I don't know. All I could think was that I needed to get to Leah. She had fainted when Sam said that Seth was dead. I think I told him to let me go so that I could help Leah. I remember he told me that I'd never touch her again. Then he jerked my arms behind my back and cuffed me. He dragged me out of the house and threw me in the back of his car. He went back in the house. He was in there a long time. When he came out Sue and Leah were behind him.

"Edward, their faces... I don't know what he told them, but they looked destroyed. Leah was looking at me like she didn't know me. I yelled for her. I yelled that I didn't do it. Sam slapped the window and told me to shut-up. Then he got in the driver's seat and brought me here. Do you think that they could give me something for a headache?"

I stand up and walk around the table. I run my hand over Jacob's head and find the knot in his hairline just above his right temple. Then I raise his shirt and see the bruise on his side.

"What happened to your head?" I ask.

"Car door," he replies.

"Hmm." I'm so angry I can't even speak. I walk to the door of the interrogation room and knock. Paul opens the door and sticks his head in. "I need a cup of water and three aspirin, please."

He smirks and sarcastically says, "Yeah, I'll see what I can do."

I slam my hand against the door as he starts to close it in my face. "That wasn't really a request." We stare each other down.

He finally gives in. "Fine." He stomps down the hall and enters an office. A moment later he emerges with a Styrofoam cup. I hold out my hand and he drops two aspirin onto my palm.

"I said three." He gives me a look that clearly says I'm lucky to have the two. "Fine. Thank you." I take the cup from him and go back into the room with Jacob.

I place the cup on the table and hold out the aspirin to him. "Take these."

"Thanks," he says as he pops the pills in his mouth and empties the cup of water. "I could use another one of these," he says as he holds up the cup. "This is the first thing I've had to drink since Sam threw me in his car."

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. What time is it?"

I look at my watch. "It's after eight."

"About five hours."

"Five hours!" I exclaim. "They brought you in here at three?" He nods. "Billie didn't call me until after six. That's a three hour delay. Why didn't you call someone right after they booked you? How long did that take?"

"Is booking me where they take my picture and fingerprint me?" I nod. "That didn't take long at all."

"What took so long then?"

"Nothing. They finished all that shit and then Paul put me in here. I waited and waited but no one came to tell me why they thought I'd killed Seth; I still don't know why. I don't know how long I was in here alone, but it was a long time before Sam came in here and said that I could call someone. I couldn't remember your phone number. I have it programmed into my phone, but they wouldn't give me that back. I called Mama and told her what had happened and told her to call you. Paul brought me back in here and then Sam started asking me questions. He got a call and left. I've been waiting here to find out exactly what happened ever since."

I shake my head in disgust. Not only had they beaten my brother/client, but they had refused him his right to a phone call for three hours. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. For the time being, I am your attorney. You do not speak to anyone about anything. If they put you in a cell with someone and he gets chatty, you don't say a word. If one of the officers tries to act like your buddy and tells you that he can help if you just open up to him, you still keep your mouth shut. You don't speak, understand?"

"Got it," Jacob replies.

"If Sam comes in here and starts asking you questions, you lawyer up."

"Lawyer up?"

"Tell him that you can't talk to him unless I'm in the room. Better yet, tell him to call me if he has any questions."

"Got it," he says again.

"I'm going to go out there and try to find out what evidence they have against you. Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here."

"I know you will, Edward. Thanks." We stand and I walk around the table to hug him.

"Do me a favor?" he asks.

"Sure."

"Let Leah know that I didn't do this and that I love her."

I nod, knowing that's one favor I may not be able to do.

~*~*~*~*~ _**SC**_ ~*~*~*~*~

Some of you had excellent theories about who the murderer really is. Just remember that sometimes things are not always as they seem. The villain is sometimes the hero and the hero can become the villain. But still, I greatly enjoy hearing what you all think. Leave me a little note (review)!

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**_Please see my Profile for the link. _**


	3. Chapter 3

A huge 'thank you' to everyone who is sticking with this story and an even bigger one to those of you who are reviewing each chapter. I was talking with another author on Facebook and she was lamenting about the apparent lack of interest in her stories because of the small number of reviews. I want to remind you all that authors wait with baited breath to know what their readers think of their work. So please take a moment, not just on _Stone Cold,_ but on every story that you are reading, to let the author know what you think.

On another note, _Turn to Stone _is nominated on (twi) (fan) (fiction) (recs).com[remove the parenthesis and make it one word] as one of the favorite fics for July. Please, if you liked _Turn to Stone_, go there and vote!

_**Stone Cold**_

Chapter 3 - Long Black Veil

_Ten years ago on a cold dark night_

_Someone was killed beneath the townhall light._

_There were few at the scene, but they all agreed_

_That the slayer who ran looked a lot like me._

Dave Matthews

~*~*~*~*~_**SC**_~*~*~*~*~

I knock on the door of the interrogation room. Paul opens it within seconds and I walk through. He smirks at me and I can't stop myself.

"What?" I ask.

"Even if you get him out of here, he won't last the night. We protect our own."

I stop and turn to face him. We're about the same height so I can look him almost directly in the eyes. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a Goddamn promise," he says as his smirk widens into an evil smile.

"Care to put that on the record?"

He chuckles and walks past me to open the door to the lobby. As I pass through the door he says, "We'll take real good care of Jakey for ya... counselor."

He slams the door behind me before I can turn to respond. I look around the room. Charlie isn't here, but neither is anyone else. I go to the door that Sam went through before I was allowed to see Jacob. I try the knob but it's locked. I knock and wait. No answer. I knock again... nothing.

I start looking around the room. I see what looks to be a reception window, but it's covered in brown paper. I notice a camera in the corner. I wave to it and say, "I need to talk to Sam."

I wait a couple of minutes and still nothing. I can almost hear the laughter for the other side of that door. I throw my hands in the air. I'm not going to get anywhere tonight.

I walk out into the open air and see Charlie standing by a tribal police cruiser. He's talking to a short Native-American man with closely cropped hair. I approach them and they stop talking.

"Please, don't stop on my account," I say a little too brusquely.

Charlie raises a warning eyebrow and says, "Edward, this is Officer Quil Ateara. He used to work for me in Forks."

I extend my hand and say, "I'm sorry. It's very nice to meet you."

He shakes my hand and says, "Same here. Charlie says that you're here to represent Jacob."

"Well, I'm here until after the bail hearing at least. Then we can get someone more qualified."

"Never done a case on the res before, huh?"

"No. I was wondering if we could get a magistrate or a judge here tomorrow for a bail hearing. I'd like to get Jacob out as soon as possible."

Quil smiles. "That ain't gonna happen here. This is a federal matter. They'll transfer him to the federal lockup in Seattle in a couple of days. It may take a few more days to get a hearing. I figure he'll be in for about a week and that's if he gets bail. I wouldn't hold my breath for that one."

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"Murder is kind of out of our jurisdiction. We can arrest a suspect, but that's about as far as we can go unless it's a misdemeanor. Even for a major crime like selling drugs or rape, we can only impose a sentence of three years. Something this big – murder – has to go to the federals. The FBI will be the ones to investigate it."

I shake my head. "I can't do this. I'm going to need some help," I mutter.

"The FBI have finished for all intents and purposes, so Sam had me go out to secure the crime scene," Quil says as he looks pointedly at Charlie. "Res crimes aren't really a top priority for the feds. There's no one out there right now… being shift change and all." He winks at Charlie as he walks past us and toward the building. Just before he reaches the door he turns and says, "Just... don't touch anything. I mean, if you go out there, don't touch anything. It's a crime scene, after all. Don't leave any signs that you were there... if you go, that is." He then goes into the building.

Charlie twirls my keys on his finger and says, "I'll drive."

Charlie pulls out of the lot and starts to drive back toward Forks. We're almost at the boundary of the reservation when he veers off onto a dirt road; I use the term loosely. We bump down the trail for less than a mile when Charlie suddenly stops the car.

"This is probably as close as we can get in the car," he says as he opens the door and gets out.

I exit the car and look around. We're in the forest just inside the reservation. "Where are we going, exactly?" I ask as I look down at my dress shoes. I hadn't planned on hiking through the woods when I dressed for work this morning.

"There's a creek about two miles farther into the woods. It's the same one that splits Billie's property. You drove over the little bridge when you came to the house… remember?"

"I didn't realize that it flowed through the reservation," I replied.

"Quil told me that they found Seth's body in the creek. Do you have a flashlight in here?"

I nod, duck back into the car, and reach into the glove box to take out the small flashlight that I keep inside. "I have another one in the trunk." Charlie nods and uses the key fob to pop the trunk. I walk to the back of the car and dig through the emergency kit until I finally find the larger flashlight. I hand it to Charlie.

"I still can't believe that Seth is dead. Did Quil give you any information as far as the evidence they have linking Jacob to this?" I ask as I follow Charlie into the forest.

"He didn't really know much. Apparently, Paul and Sam found the body. They haven't been extremely forthcoming with information." Charlie ducks under a branch and says, "Watch yourself."

I grunt my thanks as I duck under the branch and avoid a dip in the terrain. We continue walking and I'm beginning to wonder how Paul and Sam would think to come out this far when we suddenly step into a clearing. I can see the plastic police barricades that Quil has stretched from tree to tree to tree around the site.

"How did you know where to find this?" I ask Charlie.

"I used to fish this creek with Harry," he replies. I then remember that Harry Clearwater was Charlie's best friend and long-time fishing buddy.

"Hey, Charlie?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says as he stares at the crime scene tape.

"Are you okay?"

"I was there with Harry and Sue when Seth was born. I was the third person to hold that boy. Harry would bring him fishing with us when he got old enough to hold a pole." He takes a deep breath and sighs.

"Sue wasn't Harry's first wife. He was married to a woman named Kim before. She died in childbirth... the baby died too. Harry was depressed for a long time. I remember when he met Sue. Kim had been gone for almost ten years. He wasn't looking for another wife... hell, he wasn't looking for anyone or anything. But there she was and he was smitten. It didn't matter to either one of them that she was almost fifteen years younger than him. I was best man at their wedding. I was there for the birth of their children. I was a pallbearer at his funeral.

"Seth took it hard when Harry died. Sue asked me to come out to the res and talk to him. I got him and brought him here… to fish. We ended up not casting a single line. We just talked about his dad and about how much we both missed him.

"I loved Seth like he was my own, Edward. That first fishing trip turned into a once a month thing until he got the job at the garage. I remember when Jacob hired him. Seth was so excited. He asked me if I thought that his dad would be proud of him."

Charlie finally turns to look at me. "Of course he would have been proud of him. Seth was a good kid. He never did anything to cause his mother any trouble. He had dreams and ambition. He wanted to make something out of his life.

"I know that Jacob didn't do this. I know it deep in my gut. I just can't for the life of me think of anyone who would do it or even why someone would want to hurt him… much less kill him. To tell you the truth, Edward, I don't even know where to start."

I look around the scene. Honestly, I don't know where to start either. I'm beginning to wish that I had Cynthia with me. For some reason, I suspect that she'd know what to do.

"Well, maybe we could take some pictures?" I suggest, tentatively. I take out my cell phone and pull up the camera app.

Charlie nods and starts toward the creek. "Watch where you step, Edward," he warns. He walks all the way to the edge of the tape. We're about five feet from the creek bank. Charlie points to the creek and says, "Step back and take a picture of the scene the way it is now. Get as much of it in the shot as you can." I nod and comply.

It takes three pictures to get the entire scene captured in my phone. Charlie is looking around while I take the snapshots. "Come here," he says. I walk to where he is by the police tape. "They have everything that they collected marked with a number. See?"

I look at the creek bank and see little white flags sticking out of the ground. "I've seen crime scene pictures with those in them before. It's pretty standard."

"Take a picture of them... all of them," Charlie says.

"Without the catalog and the descriptions I won't know what I'm recording."

"It doesn't matter. You'll get the evidence eventually, right?"

I shrug and say, "Well, someone will."

Charlie looks up at me. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've handled a murder trial? Six years, Charlie... it's been six years. I have _never_ had a case involving Native Americans on tribal land. Hell, Quil knows more about the process than I do. I can't represent Jacob in this. I can get him through the bail hearing, but then we'll have to find someone with experience. I can't do this."

"I thought that you were going to help Jacob. We all thought that you were going to take the case. He needs you, Edward."

"He needs someone who can get him home. I'm not that person... not anymore," I reply as I turn back to the crime scene.

"He won't accept anyone else. You know that. You can't abandon him," Charlie says, flatly.

"I'm not abandoning him," I exclaim. "I'm doing what's best for him. I'm admitting my limitations. Rosalie and Emmett can help me find someone. We'll get him the best attorney, with experience in this type of case that we can find."

Charlie shakes his head and walks a few steps away. He turns to me and says, "He will see it as abandonment."

"You don't know that," I mutter.

"I do know that, because that's how_ I_ see it. I've heard Emmett and Rosalie talk about how you were before Angela... did what she did..."

"She killed herself in front of me, Charlie," I scream. "I drove a poor, innocent woman to suicide. I represented a vile, vicious man, who I knew was a criminal, and made an innocent victim think that she had nothing left to live for. I did that, Charlie... me. Don't you understand that I don't want to be that person? I don't want to go back there. I can't go back there."

"It's different this time," he says, calmly.

"Oh, really? How?"

"This time your client is innocent."

I stare at Charlie like he's grown a second head. I look down at the ground and take a deep breath. I finally look up into his eyes and say, "It doesn't matter. I'm not the one to represent him. I don't know how anymore."

"You know how. You're just too much of a coward to do it," Charlie says as he steps toward me. He takes the phone from my hand and begins to take pictures of the scene. All I can do is stand there and watch him as his words sink in.

Charlie finishes and starts for the car. I have to almost jog to keep up with him. We get to the Audi. Charlie unlocks the doors and then he tosses me the keys. I wasn't expecting it so I fumble the catch and have to bend down to pick them up.

In the light from Charlie's open door, I notice a color that stands out from the green of the forest floor. I stand up and walk closer to the bush. I aim my flashlight down and see a piece of red cloth caught on the thorns of a bush. I start to reach out and pick it out of the bush when I stop myself.

"Hey, Charlie? Would you come take a look at this?"

"What?" he says as he gets out of the car. He walks the two steps to where I am and looks down at the bush. "What the hell is that? Is that... cloth?"

"Yeah, and doesn't look like it's been here all that long."

"Could be from one of the FBI agents," Charlie says.

"Could be."

We both continue to stare at it; not sure what to do. "Take a picture of it," I finally say.

Charlie takes a close up of it and then steps back to photograph the area. He gets back into the car and closes his door. I walk around and get in the driver's seat. I execute a three point turn and head back out toward the main road.

We drive for a while in silence. I can't tell if he's mad or disappointed or both. I grit my teeth as I try to think of something to say to break the uncomfortable silence. I clear my throat.

"That cloth could be nothing... probably is nothing," I say.

"Maybe. Or it might be something big. But you don't really have to worry about that, right?" he snarks.

I shake my head. "You don't understand."

"I understand completely. I understand that you don't have the balls anymore to defend your brother... your _innocent_ brother."

"Do you know who I have to become to defend a criminal case? Do you have any idea where I have to go in my mind? I have to think like the murderer. I have to put myself in that position so that I can find a defense for an indefensible crime."

"It's different this time," Charlie yells. "He's not guilty!"

"Then who _is_ guilty, Charlie! Who killed Seth?" I scream back.

"I don't know, Goddamnit! I don't know. But we can't abandon Jacob until we find out. We have to solve this case... _you_ have to solve this case."

"Why me?! Why does it have to me?!"

"Because you're his brother and no one else will care enough to do the job as well as you will. You've done it before, Edward. Everyone says that you were the best. Prove it."

"I was 'the best' at getting guilty people acquitted. This is different. I don't know how to do this."

"You're making excuses because you're upset right now. You're not thinking clearly. You can do this, Edward. I know that you can and _you _know that you can."

I turn into Billie's driveway and start for her house. I can feel Charlie's eyes boring into the side of my head. He's waiting for me to tell him that I'll do it. He's waiting for me to see things his way. I stop the car beside Mom's BMW. I turn off the ignition and drop my hands into my lap.

I don't look at Charlie when I say, "I can't do it alone. I don't have it in me anymore to work solo. I'll need help."

"Did I ask you do this by yourself?" I shake my head no. "Then what makes you think that we won't all pull together again and help you like we did with the _Cavanaugh_ trial?"

I shrug. Now that I've made my decision, all the fight has gone out of me. I'm resigned to it. "I'm afraid," I whisper.

"Of what?" Charlie asks.

"Of myself."

I look up at the house. I can see Bella looking out at us from the front windows. I don't want to hurt her. I'm so afraid that if I go back to being the criminal defense attorney that I will become someone that Bella could never love. I can't lose her. She's my life... my reason.

"I can't lose her," I whisper to myself.

"You won't," Charlie replies as he opens his door.

Billie, Bella, and Mom come out of the house and meet us as we're walking to the front door.

"Where's Jacob?" Billie frantically asks.

"I couldn't get him out tonight, Billie. I'm sorry. Apparently, he'll have to be transferred to Seattle for a bail hearing."

"Why?" she asks.

"It's a federal case because it was on the reservation. It will have to be handled in the federal system, which is in Seattle. In the mean time, we have some things to settle. Someone will need to run the garage until Jacob posts bond."

"I can call Tyler," Billie says through her tears. She wipes her face. "I have got to stop this useless crying. There's too much to do to keep on like this."

Mom wraps an arm around Billie's shoulders. "You don't have to do it alone, Billie. We're here for you."

The shock on Billie's face is evident. She recovers quickly and says, "Thank you, Elizabeth... so much. I didn't know that you were with Charlie when I called him, but I'm glad that you were. I'm glad you're here."

Mom nods and pulls Billie closer. "So," she says, "Tyler can keep the garage open until Jacob gets back. What can the rest of us do?"

"Well, I need to call Cynt to let her know that I won't be in the office tomorrow. She'll have to do the Wilkerson-Broadnax mediation by herself. I've never handled a federal murder case involving a Native-American before. I have no idea about tribal law versus federal versus state. I'm flying blind at the moment. I don't even know how the bail hearing will work. I need some support. Bella, could you call Emmett and Rosalie and see if they can help me out?"

"Sure," Bella says as she takes out her phone. "I'll call and cancel our plans for tomorrow night with Alice and Jasper while I'm at it."

"Shit, I'm sorry. I forgot all about tomorrow."

"Hey, this is far more important. They'll understand," Bella assures me as she steps away to make the calls.

"I would really like to know what Sam told Sue and Leah. Charlie, do you think that Sue would let you in the house... maybe talk to you about it?"

Charlie smirks, "It's worth a shot. The worst she can do is tell me to beat it. Elizabeth and I can go over there now."

I cringe. "I think Mom should stay here. Sue may be more forthcoming if it's just you, Charlie."

"He's right," Mom says. "Here, take the car. I'll stay here and keep Billie company." She looks at Billie as if to ask permission.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. I really don't want to be alone right now."

"No one is going anywhere, Billie," Bella says between calls.

Charlie takes the keys and backs the car out of the driveway. I watch as his tail-lights make a trail down to the highway.

"I have to call Cynt," I half groan.

"You sound less than enthused," Mom says with a grin.

"I like a happy Cynthia. I mad Cynthia is not a good thing." Mom and Billie go back into the house as I step out into the yard to call my partner.

The phone rings four times and I am about to hang up and try her cell when Cynthia answers. "Yes," she says breathlessly.

"Hey. Were you exercising?" I ask.

"Hell no! I was outside with this infuriating dog." Ted bought Cynthia a miniature, long-hair dachshund for Christmas this past year. His name is Pickles. He weighs maybe five pounds and is the cutest thing, but he has completely taken over that household. "He thinks that every time he goes outside, I'm supposed to have the laser pointer. Just because we go outside doesn't mean that I have play dot with you," she says to the dog. "I blame Ted. He spoiled him. It's entirely his fault."

"You had nothing to do with it?"

"No comment. Why are you calling me?"

"Something has come up and I need you to cover for me tomorrow at the Wilkerson-Broadnax mediation." I wait for the impending blow-up.

"I was wondering when you'd call. How's Jacob?"

"How did...? It's on the news, isn't it?"

"Yeah. There wasn't much information. Just that there had been a murder and that Jacob Anthony Black had been arrested for it. Would it be safe to assume that you're in Forks?"

"Billie called me." I don't say anything for a long minute. I can tell that Cynthia is waiting on me. I sigh and finally say, "She wants me to represent him."

"Okay," she replies.

"That's all you've got... 'okay'?"

"What do you want me to say, Edward? I think it's a bad idea? You've been out of it too long... you're rusty? What is it that you want to hear, Edward?"

"I want your honest opinion," I say. "You usually don't have to be prodded for it."

"Honestly? It's been a long time since you've handled a murder trial. I think that you will need some assistance from another attorney. That being said, I still think that you're the best choice. You're personally invested. Usually this would be a bad thing, but in this case, since Jacob is innocent, I think emotional involvement is good. I think you should do it. What's your reservations?"

"I'm afraid of who I have to become," I reply

"Edward, I love you, you know that. So, I say this with the utmost love and affection. Get over yourself. You are not your father. No matter how hard you tried to be in the past, it never stuck. You're being ridiculous if you're afraid that you'll lose yourself if you go back to being a defense attorney. Anyway, if you do start becoming a jerk, I'll beat it out of you."

I chuckle at her remark until I realize that she isn't kidding. She probably would beat the shit out of me if I got out of hand.

"I need your help with a few things," I say.

"That's a shocker," she says sarcastically. "I already assume that I'm dealing with the 'Hatfields and McCoys' alone tomorrow. What else do you need, oh helpless one?"

"I have some pictures of the crime scene I want you to see."

"Why in the hell were you at the crime scene?" she asks.

"I was taking pictures," I say matter-of-factly.

There is a long pause before she speaks. "You do realize that you are not supposed to go to the crime scene, right? Why did you think going there was a good idea?"

"I didn't really think about it at all. Quil told Charlie where it was and implied that we should go."

"Who is Quil and why are you listening to him?"

"He's a tribal deputy and I listened to him because he seemed to know more about what is going on than I do. Do you want to see the pictures or not?"

"Not," she says. "I don't want to be in as much trouble as you are going to be when the judge finds out that you were there. You could have jeopardized Jacob's defense by going out there. You know better, Edward."

"I'm sending you the pictures anyway," I reply.

She sighs. "I figured as much." I hear her cover the phone and then I hear her say, "Nip me on the back of the leg one more time, you little bastard."

"Leave Pickles alone," I say in defense of the pup. "He just wants to play."

"I could kill Ted for starting the laser pointer game," she grumbles.

"I took the pictures with my phone, so I'll e-mail them to you when we hang up."

"Oh, joy," she says with obvious lack of enthusiasm. "I assume that these are pictures of the forbidden crime scene."

"You would be correct. Call me if you have any questions."

"I have a question," she says. I pause and wait for it. "What will you do if I just refuse to open the emails?"

I huff and grit my teeth. "Please don't be difficult with me right now. I need you. I'm barely hanging on here. My brother is in jail; a kid that I really liked, who had a very promising future, is dead; my father-in-law is quietly grieving; I am being pulled back into criminal defense against my will; and my wife... my wife..."

"What about Bella?" Cynthia asks.

"Well, nothing. My wife is actually holding it together better than any of us."

"You're just now noticing this, aren't you? How many times have I told you that Bella is stronger than you think? Hell, she's stronger than you."

"I have to go. I have to check on Bella," I say frantically.

"Send the pics," Cynt yells as I end the call.

**~*~*~*~*~_SC_~*~*~*~*~**

Please leave me a little note. I still love reading all of your theories. Just, remember... things and people are not always as they seem.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to everyone who is sticking with this story and an even bigger one to those of you who are reviewing each chapter. Please remember that authors wait with baited breath to know what their readers think of their work. So please take a moment, not just on _Stone Cold,_ but on every story that you are reading, to let the author know what you think.

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_**Stone Cold**_

Chapter 4 - Dreamed I Killed God

_Dreamed I killed God and woke up_  
_I dreamed I killed God and woke up_  
_He was begging please,_  
_please, please, no don't_  
_I dreamed I killed God and woke up_

Dave Matthews

I ran into the house to find Bella still on the phone. She is hunched over the coffee table taking notes on a sheet of notebook paper. I hear my mother and Billie in the kitchen so I follow that sound.

"Hey. Um, is she still on the phone with Alice?" I ask as I enter the room.

"I think that's Rosalie," Billie replies. "I can't thank you enough, Edward. I know that you don't do this kind of work anymore, so it means a lot that you will help us."

I smile to hide my apprehension. "Yeah, well, it's like riding a bike, right? You never forget." I glance at my mother and see that she's raised an eyebrow and is giving me that look. I've known it since I was a child. She knows what I'm thinking and feeling whether I voice it or not. I look at her pointedly. She shrugs and looks away with a sigh.

Bella comes into the room before Billie can acknowledge the awkward silence in the room. "I just got off the phone with Rose. She's never handled a case from the reservation either, but she has heard about the process from a few of the other ADAs. It sounds kind of complicated and slow."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Apparently, the federal government doesn't get in a huge rush when it comes to prosecuting crimes committed on Indian Reservations. Rosalie says that the ones that she has heard about took years and eventually were just plea bargained out. The judges' dockets are full already and the prosecutors really don't want to touch them.

"Most crimes get dismissed without ever seeing the inside of a courtroom. Many times, the evidence collection is poor or the witnesses don't want to testify. It's frustrating for the prosecutor. They'd rather just dismiss it if they can't get a plea bargain."

"That could be good, right?" Billie asks.

"Not necessarily," Bella continues. "Although Jacob is legally Quilleute, he isn't a member of the tribe, per se. He would be considered a 'non-Indian' in this case. Therefore, the tribe cannot criminally prosecute him. The state can't touch him because there is not a special grant of jurisdiction by the federal government. So, this is definitely a federal case which falls under the ICCA because the crime is inter-racial.

"With the victim being Native-American, and the crime so serious and severe, the feds will most definitely prosecute, but they will push hard for a plea bargain." I hug my little researcher to me and kiss the top of her head.

"What does that mean?" Billie asks.

"It means that they will want Jacob to both admit guilt and serve some time, probably life, or they might accept a no-contest plea, but he would still serve time," I reply.

"No," Billie says, adamantly. "He did not do this. He will not admit anything and he will not serve time."

"I agree. I don't intend to accept a plea bargain, if it goes that far. I hope when we see the evidence that they have against Jacob that we can poke enough holes in the case to just get this nonsense dismissed."

Charlie comes through the kitchen door. His expression is somber and it is obvious that he has been crying. My mother goes to him and takes his hand. He nods and takes a seat at the kitchen table.

"How are they, dear?" Mom asks.

"They're exactly how you would expect. Sue has been sedated by the tribe's doctor. She was sleeping when I got there. Leah is a wreck. She's in a bit of shock, I think. She just kept saying that she couldn't believe that Jacob would do this and that it just doesn't make sense."

"Do they know anything as far as evidence or why Jacob is a suspect?" I ask.

"I finally got Leah to say that Sam told them that one of Jacob's work uniform shirts had been found in a dumpster behind the Quilleute BP. It was covered in blood. It's been sent for testing, but they just assumed that it was Seth's blood and since it was obviously Jacob's shirt, his name is stitched on the front after all, they concluded that Jacob had killed Seth."

"That's really circumstantial," Bella says.

"But also very damning," I reply. "If it's the only evidence that they have then we can probably insinuate that someone else took the shirt from the shop. They leave their uniforms there, right?" Billie nodded her head. "It could raise enough reasonable doubt."

"There has to be more," Charlie says. "The FBI took evidence at the scene. I know that there's more. That's just the part that Sam told Leah and Sue. It was enough to arrest Jacob and to plant a seed of doubt in Leah's mind. It was… enough."

"Well, we can't do any more tonight. Mom, can Bella and I stay with you? I want to be here early in the morning just in case they transfer Jacob to Seattle. I want to at least follow them there; make sure that nothing happens."

"What could happen?" Billie asks. I remember then that I hadn't told them that Jacob had been assaulted by the tribal police. I bite me lip nervously. "What are you keeping from me about my son?" Billie demands.

I sigh and look at the floor. "Jacob may have been slightly assaulted by Sam when he was making his arrest."

Billie took a step toward me. "Define 'slightly.'"

"He has a few bruises… a bump on the head… maybe bruised ribs…." Billie reaches for the back of one of the chairs. I reach out and take her arm. "He's fine. It's nothing severe. Nothing is broken. He'll be fine."

"Why?!" Billie wails. "Why would they hurt him? Jacob isn't uncooperative. He would have gone willingly."

"From what I understand, that's how Sam is," Charlie interjects. "He's rather aggressive. Quil has told me about situations where he's had to step in and stop Sam from becoming too violent. He says that Paul is the same way. I think that Quil took the job with the tribal police to try to curtail some of the violence within the department itself."

Billie collapses into one of the chairs. "My poor baby. I can't believe that this is happening. He's such a good boy. He'd never hurt anyone."

Mom walks over and places a hand on Billie's shoulder. "Edward will take care of this, Billie. He'll get Jacob out." She looks up at me and smiles encouragingly. I wish I shared her confidence.

An hour later, I'm sitting on the bed in Mom's guest bedroom listening to the water of the shower. I'm waiting, rather impatiently, for my wife to finish her shower. I haven't had a moment alone with her yet to see how she's doing. I know that all this has to be stressful for her and the last thing that I want is for her to be uncomfortable or upset by any of this.

I hear the water shut off and stand, expectantly. The door is cracked so I can see Bella move around the room as she wraps the towel around her perfect body. I take a step forward and push the door open a little more.

She jumps as I startle her and smiles. "Hi," she says.

"Hi," I reply. I can still hardly believe that she's mine. I take the comb from her hand and begin to comb the tangles from her hair. She smiles and hums with pleasure at the sensation.

"I want to thank you for your help tonight and for being here with me. I know that you probably have work that you need to do."

"I have nothing that is anywhere close to as important as this," she says as she dabs crème under her eyes.

I stop combing and place my hands on her shoulders. I look at her in the mirror. "How are you holding up to all of this, love?"

She turns to face me. "Baby, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you." She reaches up and touches my cheek. "I know how close you and Jacob have become. I should be asking how you're doing."

I lean my face into her warm hand. "I'm hanging in there." She cocks her head to one side and gives me that look. I sigh and say, "I'm... apprehensive about defending a criminal prosecution. I don't like who I become when I'm working on a murder case or any criminal case for that matter. That's why I don't do that anymore. I don't want to be... him. I don't want to be a bastard."

"Edward, you could never be your father." I push past her and walk into the bedroom.

"You sound like your dad." I turn to face her. "You don't know, Bella. You've never seen..."

"I saw a small piece of it, remember? Yes, you can be quite frightening, but that's not the real you. I know you, Edward. You're kind and loving. You're thoughtful and sweet. You're a good man. I know that I never knew your father, and I'm sure that you have less than stellar memories of the man, but you have to admit that there had to be some part of him that was good. Why else would Jacob and Billie love him so much?"

I sit hard on the bed. "I try to figure that out all the time. I try to understand why I wasn't worthy of his love. I don't get it. I did everything that he wanted me to do. I became everything that he wanted me to become. I've heard Jacob talk about him. I've heard the stories and the memories. Why wasn't I good enough for that type of love from him?"

Bella sits next to me on the bed and takes my hand. "Why wasn't your mother? Think about it... he wasn't loving toward her either. Have you ever talked to your mother about it? Have you ever asked her why she thinks that Senior loved one family, but not the other?"

"I haven't. I didn't want to upset her," I reply.

Bella pats my hand. "There you go, thinking about others before yourself again." I chuckle and shake my head. "I think you should talk to your mother about it. I think that it would help."

"I've talked to Kate about it."

"And what did she say?"

I smile sheepishly. "She says that I should talk to my mother about it."

"Well, there you go," she says as she stands and walks toward the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" I ask as I grab the edge of her towel. She giggles and grabs the top to hold it in place. I jerk on the towel and pull her toward me. "C'mere. We need to lose this towel. There's too much fabric between us."

"Edward," she admonishes me. "We're in your mother's home."

"So," I say as I pull back the towel and kiss her stomach.

"We can't," she says as she tries to stop my persistent kissing.

I pull a little harder on the towel and it dips low to show the top of her breasts. "I don't think that she cares. We are married, remember? If I recall correctly, we weren't married when your dad was staying with us and caught me in the hallway with condoms. You didn't seem so shy then."

I finally pull the towel free and it falls to the floor. I pull her to me and kiss her in the valley between her perfect breasts. I notice her hand move to cover her scar. I take her hand away and kiss the perfect imperfection. "Don't do that," I whisper as I kiss her palm. "You're beautiful. Every part of you is beautiful. Don't hide any of it from me." I pull her down onto the bed so that I can properly worship at her altar.

It's an hour later and I'm holding Bella's naked body against mine. I can tell by her breathing that she's still wake.

"Love?" I ask.

"Hmmm?"

"How well did you know Seth?"

"I didn't really," she replies. "I remember Harry's first wife, Kim, and I remember when she died, but I was in high school when Leah was born. By the time Seth came along I was away at college. I know that Dad kind of took him under his wing after Harry died, but by then Alice and I were in Seattle and I was dealing with my own stuff. I knew of him, but I didn't know him; not like Dad did."

"I feel horrible for Sue and Leah… and your dad. Losing a child has to be difficult. I kind of feel guilty in a way."

Bella rises up on one elbow and looks at me. "For God's sake, why?"

"Well, it's my brother who is accused of the crime. I feel like they are looking at me like I should have stopped it from happening."

"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" she asks.

"I do," I say as I cover my eyes with my arm. "I know that it makes no sense. I just wish that this was all some horrible nightmare and that I could wake up from it. I wish that we could all go back to our normal, happy lives."

"Do you have any idea how many times that I wished the same thing after the rape? It's a normal reaction to a traumatic event. But this isn't a dream or a nightmare, Edward. This is real and we have to deal with it. I know that you don't want to do this. I know that you're afraid. Do you think that you can't handle everything that might come our way?"

"I don't know," I say as I move my arm so that I can look into her eyes. "The biggest thing for me is that I don't want to lose you. I don't want to become a man that you can't love."

She smiles down at me and leans in to kiss me tenderly on the lips. "I will always love you, Edward. You are my savior and my soul. There's nothing you can do that will change that."

She lays her head back on my shoulder and I pull her tightly to my side. I hope that she means that, because I see things getting a lot worse before they even begin to get better.

~*~*~*~*~SC~*~*~*~*~

Bella and I are at the tribal police station before six o'clock. I'm not sure of their shifts, but I'm hoping that I'm here in time for their shift change. I've had no luck getting someone to come to the door by knocking or by talking to the camera like an idiot. Maybe if I catch someone coming into work or leaving, they will help me.

Bella is sitting in a chair by the front door watching me pace the length of the room. She has an amused expression on her face.

"What?" I ask as I briefly stop my nervous walking.

"You need to calm down. Why don't you have a seat here next to me? You can pounce just as well from here as you can from there."

I huff and comply. I lean over and rest my elbows on my knees. I feel Bella begin to soothingly scratch my back.

"You know that they've closed ranks. Think about it, Edward. Someone who they consider an outsider has, in their eyes, killed one of their own. I know that you aren't used to the police being this uncooperative, but I think that you may have to deal with it until Jacob is transferred."

"I know," I reply. "I just hate to see him hurt. I hate to see him in here. This isn't right. He's accused of this horrible crime and the real murderer is out there somewhere, getting off scot free. How is that justice?"

"You tell me?" she asks.

I turn and look into her eyes. She has a point. I put a lot of guilty people back on the streets to kill and rape, or worse, again. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

"I know," she says with a shy smile. "But you don't do that anymore. This time your client is innocent. This time you get to do what you do best for the right reason. This time you will get your justice."

"God, I hope," I mutter. I'm still a little skeptical about my ability to do this and do it well. I'm terrified that I'll screw it up and Jacob will spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

We've been waiting a while and I'm beginning to give up hope that we'll see anyone come through the front door, when it suddenly opens and two officers walk in. I stand and quickly approach them. I don't recognize them, but at this point I'm willing to ask anyone for help.

"Excuse me, officers. I'm Edward Masen, attorney for Jacob Black. I need to see my client this morning and get information about the transfer to Seattle. Who would I speak to about these matters?"

They look at each other and frown. One sneers at me and walks past me to the door. He inserts a key and enters, leaving me in the lobby with Bella and the other officer.

"You're his brother, aren't you," the officer asks.

I nod and say, "Yes, I am. Do you know Jacob?"

"Kind of. He did the brakes on my Ford when he was working at that other garage… A-1. He's a good mechanic. I can't believe that he killed Seth."

"He didn't," Bella says from her perch beside the door. "Jacob didn't kill anyone."

The officer glances at her and then back to me. "My partner went to find someone to talk to you, but I can tell you that they transferred Jacob early this morning. He's probably halfway to Seattle by now."

"What?" I ask in disbelief. "Why wasn't I called? I should have been here."

"That's why Embry went to get someone. Honestly, I thought they would have told you last night that he'd be moved early today. Maybe Sam just forgot."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," I mutter.

The door opens again and Embry appears with a very small Native-American woman. She smiles sweetly and extends her hand. "Hello, Mr. Masen. I'm Claudia Blackwoods. I'm sorry for the mix up. I thought Sam told you that the transfer was happening early this morning. He told me that you knew. I should have followed up. He's taken this tragedy to heart, I'm afraid."

"Who took him? How long have they been gone?"

She looks at her watch. "Sam and Paul left with him about two and a half hours ago."

"Shit," I say under my breath. I turn to Bella. "We have to go and try to catch up." I turn back to Claudia. "This is completely against protocol. You knew that Sam was upset about this and you let him take my client anyway. This is unacceptable. He's already displayed his brutality towards my client. If he does anything to injure Jacob again, I'll make sure that there are consequences for everyone involved."

Claudia smiles sweetly and says, "I think that you will find that the word 'protocol' has a different meaning here, counselor. You go ahead and do what you have to do, but I can tell you now that you will probably not get the results that you want. You can try though." She laughs as she turns to leave the room. She stops at the door, turns, and says, "I'd get on the road if I were you. It's a long trip to Seattle. All sorts of things could happen." She and the officers walk through the door leaving Bella and me in the lobby… stunned.

"We have to go," I say as I dart for the door.

Bella is close behind me. "What if they do something to him on the way?" she asks.

"That's kind of what I'm afraid of," I reply as I open her car door. She hurriedly enters the car and I sprint around the back. I have my door open and am about to get in, when the officer who stayed with us in the lobby comes running around from the back of the station. He's waving for me to stop.

"Hey," he says as he gets to the car. He looks around before he speaks again. "Listen, just about the entire rez thinks that Jacob is guilty. I'm not one of them. I've met Jacob; he's not the type. Nothing about this makes any sense. And Sam… Sam is just out there about this. He's almost too mad.

"I want you to have my card." He hands me his information. I glance at it and see that his name is Jared. "I'm going to keep my ears and eyes open around here. If I find out anything, I'll give you a call. Do you have a card?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." I take one out of the silver holder I keep in the inner pocket of my suit jacket. "I really appreciate this. Besides Quil Ateara, I haven't had much luck getting any information from you guys."

Jared shrugs. "I know. The deck is stacked against Jacob right now. Good luck. I'll be in touch." He shakes my hand and goes back into the building.

I get in the car and quickly leave the lot. "What route do you think that they would take?"

"I'm guessing the back roads. Sam doesn't seem like the interstate and highway type. You don't think that he and Paul would take Jacob out somewhere and… do something to him, do you?"

"That's exactly what I think that they'll do. I have a feeling that if we see Jacob again, he'll have far more bruises than he had last night."

"You mean 'when' we see him, right?"

"That's what I said," I reply.

"No," Bella says slowly, "you said 'if'."

I cut my eyes toward her. I guess on some subconscious level I suspect the worst of Sam. "Slip of the tongue… I meant 'when'," I say as I try to cover my mistake.

~*~*~*~*~SC~*~*~*~*~

I call Charlie and let him know the situation. He's as concerned for Jacob's well-being as I am. He immediately tells his officers to be on the lookout for the tribal police transporting a prisoner. He tells them to respond immediately if they see a tribal police cruiser pulled over to the side of the road. He also tells me the route that Sam would most likely take to the Federal Courthouse in Seattle.

Almost four hours later, Bella and I are parking at the courthouse and running inside. Bella is on the phone with Rosalie trying to determine if Jacob has been processed yet. I'm highly agitated that I have no idea where my client is at the moment.

"Complete clusterfuck," I mutter as I scan the directory in the lobby.

"Rosalie says that the U.S. attorney will be the prosecutor, so we should go there and see if Jacob is being processed into the jail here."

I find the Office for the U.S. Attorney on the directory and walk quickly to the elevators. Before I can press the button I hear a familiar voice.

"I wondered how far behind us you'd be, Masen," Sam says as he approaches.

I advance on him and Bella grabs my arm. "You son of a bitch. You know that you were supposed to notify me of the transfer so that I could follow. There better not be a single mark on my brother. I swear I'll have your head," I yell.

"Edward," Bella says as she looks around. "Time and place, sweetheart."

"Listen to the little woman, counselor. You don't want to make a scene. Your murdering, half-breed, whore spawn brother has already been escorted to the cell he'll be calling home for the foreseeable future. Well, at least until they send him to the federal penitentiary."

"Fuck you," I seethe.

Bella steps between us and asks, "Sam, please, let's not make this worse. Where do we need to go and when is the bail hearing?"

"Bail hearing? Are you seriously expecting him to get out?" Sam laughs loudly.

I see Paul approaching. He has that annoying smirk that I really want to punch off his face. "What's so funny?" he asks.

"They think the half-breed is getting a bail hearing," Sam says through his laughter.

"Yeah… that's not gonna happen," Paul says as he too begins to laugh.

Bella takes me by the arm and drags me away from them. "C'mon. Let's go to the jail and find Jacob." We leave the courthouse and start the block and a half walk to the federal jail. I can tell by the way that Bella is stomping down the sidewalk that she is just as angry as I am.

We turn the corner and are almost to the front of the jail when a small, grey haired man stops us.

"You Edward Masen?" he asks.

"Maybe. Who are you?" I reply. I'm in no mood for anymore bullshit.

He extends his hand and says, "I'm Jason Jenks and I think that you and I should have a conversation."

I look down at his hand and then back up into his eyes before I say, "And why is that?"

"I'm one of the only men in this state to have tried a case involving the Indians… I've done several, in fact. I'm probably the only hope that you and your brother have of getting him out of this mess." He drops his hand. "Or you can try to figure it all out of your own. Good luck with that. I think you'll find the natives less than helpful and the U.S. Attorney is a prick. It's your choice. It's not my client… or my brother. I can just go home."

He starts to walk off and I grab his arm. "Wait. You've tried these cases? You could do this one?" I feel hope rising in my chest that I may not have to defend Jacob after all.

He shrugs out of my grip and says, "I've tried cases just like this one and I've won, but I can't do this one."

"Why not?" Bella asks.

"Well, that's a long story. Suffice it to say that you and I, counselor, have more than a few things in common." He cocks his head toward the Starbucks across the street. "You wanna have that conversation now. Trust me, Jacob ain't going anywhere today. You have time."

**~*~*~*~*~SC~*~*~*~*~**

So, who is Jason Jenks and why can't he defend Jacob? Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to everyone who is sticking with this story and an even bigger one to those of you who are reviewing each chapter. Please remember that authors wait with baited breath to know what their readers think of their work. So please take a moment, not just on _Stone Cold,_ but on every story that you are reading, to let the author know what you think.

_**Stone Cold**_

Chapter 5 – Typical Situation

_It's a typical situation,_

_In these typical times;_

_Too many choices._

_It's a typical situation,_

_In these typical times._

_We can't do a thing about it._

Dave Matthews

Bella and I follow Jason across the street to the Starbucks. The door makes a noise as we enter and Jason jumps. He looks around and then smiles sheepishly when Bella and I both look at him questioningly.

"I'm just a little jumpy," he says with a laugh. "I'll get a table. You two can order something if you'd like."

"You don't want anything?" Bella asks.

He shakes his head. "Ain't nothing in here strong enough for me, sweetheart." He walks away toward the tables.

I turn to Bella and say, "Get my usual, okay? I'm going to go with him. I have a feeling that he's a flight risk and I'd like to pick his brain before he disappears."

She nods and goes to the counter. I wind my way through the people and tables until I find Jason at the back of the coffee shop. He seems to have found the only table in the place where he could have his back to the wall. I pull out a chair and retrieve a pen and a pad from my briefcase.

"So, what can you tell me that can help me to understand how to proceed?" I ask.

He's smirking when I look up. "I knew your father… well; and I know you," he says. "I used to see you at the Chamber even before the Webber girl blew the back of her head off in your office." I flinch at the memory. "I remember how you used to come in with that big fella, McCarty. Before you lost it, you two would come in and take over that bar. You thought you were the shit." He chuckles.

"I remember when I finally saw you again after the suicide. You weren't the same. You still came in and the women still flocked to you, but your eyes were dead… like mine. I knew that you were damaged too. I knew that you thought that the alcohol could fix it… cure you somehow. How did that work out for you?"

I look over my shoulder and see that Bella is still at the counter. "Not too well. What does this have to do with Jacob's case?"

"We're not so different. I just didn't have a beautiful woman to save me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Bella… she saved you. I didn't have that. All I had… have is my bottle. She's the one that almost got you disbarred, isn't she? She's the reason that you gave it all up."

"Are you an alcoholic, Jason?"

"Call me J. And yes, I guess I am. Does that bother you?"

"No. Are you drunk now?"

"I'm not, but would it bother you if I were?"

"A little. You said that you can help me and I need the help. I don't see how you can be helpful if you're drunk."

"I can control it. I won't get completely wasted as long as we're working on this case. I'm good about that. I don't drink to excess when I'm working."

"What are you talking about? Are you suggesting that we be co-counsels on this?"

"That isn't possible."

"Why is that?"

"You weren't disbarred, but I was."

I wasn't completely shocked. I had assumed as much from the brief conversation we had had on the street. "So, how do you propose that we 'work' together?" I ask.

Bella places my coffee on the table in front of me and takes the seat across from J. He smiles at her and says, "I'd have given it all away for you, too. You're truly beautiful. I'm sorry about what happened to you. No one deserves it, especially someone like you."

"Thank you, Mr. Jenks, but in all honesty… you don't really know me," Bella replies.

"Call me J, please. And I do know you. I know both of you. How do you think that I found you today? Do you think that this was all just a coincidence or that I'm only interested in the case because it involves an Indian?

"I know all about the two of you. I've followed your career for a while," he says as he points at me. "I know that he used to be the second best criminal defense attorney in the state."

"The 'second best'?" I ask with a smirk.

"Your father was the best, boy. You know that. I also know that the _Cavanaugh_ trial and the subsequent suicide broke you. I know that you were willing to throw it all away, your career, your livelihood, everything, for her.

"Hell, I think that you'd have given your life for her if that's what it would have taken to give her peace."

He points at Bella and says, "You were an up and coming journalist before that Cavanaugh prick attacked you. I know how long it's taken you to drag yourself out of your guilt and depression. I've read your stuff. I know that you're just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.

"I followed that trial. I kept up with you, boy. I know you and I know that you can do this. You just need someone to show you how.

"Your brother is innocent. When I heard the news and saw the name, I knew that you would be involved somehow. I hoped that you would agree to represent him, but I wasn't sure. When I saw you today, I knew that you would need my help."

I look at Bella and see that she has the same expression of disbelief that I know is on my face. "Well," I say as I try to regain my composure, "you've done your research. My wife and I are at a disadvantage. We know absolutely nothing about you… except that you're an alcoholic who has been disbarred."

"Why were you disbarred?" Bella asks.

"The Bar doesn't usually let you keep your license after you go to prison."

I feel Bella's hand on my leg. "Why were you in prison?" she asks.

"I killed someone," he says matter-of-factly. He reaches inside of his jacket and takes out a flask. He unscrews the cap and takes a sip. He grimaces slightly as he swallows. He replaces the cap and puts the flask back inside his jacket.

I cut my eyes and glance at Bella. I notice that she's doing the same. I feel her hand begin to squeeze my leg. I notice as the panic begins to form in her eyes.

I clear my throat and say, "You killed someone. Mind if we ask you for some specifics?"

J looks around the room. I notice a faint glistening of tears forming in his eyes. He licks his lips and says, "I'd rather talk about something else. Aren't you curious about how I connected you to Jacob Anthony _Black_?"

"Not as much as I am about how you can kill someone, go to prison, and be out right now. I assume that it wasn't capital murder. I would have heard if it had gone to trial here. Did you do it out of state? Was it manslaughter… self-defense with undue force? What happened?"

The old man's eyes shift to look out the windows behind me. "Have you ever defended an innocent man? A man that you know for a fact never committed a crime in his life?"

"Jacob will be my first," I reply.

"He was a patsy. The evidence… all that evidence… pointed directly to him, but I knew… I just knew he didn't do it. I couldn't find a single shred of proof though. The state's case was bullet-proof… perfect… too perfect." His eyes shift back to mine. "I'm sure you know how that feels."

I nod. "Did you kill your client?"

He chuckles. "God, no. I watched them take him out of that courtroom. I stood outside and watched the transport leave for the prison. Then I went to the closest bar and drank until I couldn't see. I woke up hand-cuffed to a hospital bed. I had tried to drive home and killed a single mother of four. She was on her way home from her third job.

"I didn't mean to do it, but I didn't plead innocent. I took my punishment, because I deserved it. I had committed a crime and I deserved to go to prison. My client, on the other hand, did not. I had intended to apologize to him when I arrived at the prison… for my failure. I was going to search him out and tell him that I knew he was innocent. I was going to convince him to write to your father and ask for assistance.

"I never got the chance. He had been killed on his third day inside. So I guess I killed two people, huh?"

His eyes shift to the windows again as he sits there in silence. I have no idea what to say. I take Bella's hand from my leg and squeeze it. Our eyes meet. If not for the grace of God that could have been me.

"I did my year, paid my fines and my restitution, and was released, but I had lost everything. I'd been disbarred, which was the least of my worries. I'd lost my job, of course, and my fiancée. I'd lost my car and my house. I had nothing… nothing, but a useless law degree."

He looks back at us and smiles. "That's where your father came in. He did a lot of pro bono work when he was an associate; mostly with Native American Affairs. He offered me a job… a second chance… as his personal paralegal specializing in those cases. That's how I learned the way the tribal system works. I learned by trial and error. I can help you."

"Is that how you associated me with Jacob?" I ask. "Through my father."

J smirks. "I was with him when he met Billie. We were working on a case on the reservation. It was a rape case. The alleged rapist was a 'pale face' and the victim…." He paused and bit his lip as he looked at the table.

"Was it Billie?" Bella asks.

J nods. "We stopped at that truck stop to kind of 'check her out.' You're dad was a ruthless bastard… but I'm sure that you knew that. He was hell bent on discrediting every victim whether it be a rape, a murder, a robbery… he didn't care. In his mind no victim was ever innocent." J looks into my eyes. "Sound familiar?"

I glare at him. "Are you trying to provoke me?"

"You aren't as different from your old man as you try to think that you are. That's not a bad thing. It will probably come in handy with this Jacob problem."

Bella touches my balled up fist and says, "So, Senior went to the truck stop to harass Billie. What happened?"

"The idiot fell in love. He saw her and it was instantaneous. He came back to the car and drove us back to Seattle so fast, I was afraid for my life. He recused himself the next day. Then he went back to that truck stop and I guess you know the rest."

I did. Father had another family that he loved and then he had Mom and me who he hated.

"Why didn't he just divorce my mom?" I mumble.

"And give up all the perks of being married to the daughter of Conrad Hollingsworth? Are you crazy? Your mother was always just a means to an end for that asshole."

"I thought that he was your friend," Bella says. "You talk about him like you hated him."

"Edward Masen didn't have any friends. He had associates, clients, and people who were afraid to cross him."

"And where did you fit in?" I ask.

With an evil grin, J replies, "I was the only man that he trusted. I was his confidant. I was his sounding board and his punching bag. And yes, Mrs. Masen, I hated him, but I owed him. I worked for him and I kept his secrets. I was handsomely rewarded… under the table of course; a similar arrangement that I expect to establish with you, Young Edward."

I stood from the table. "I've heard enough. I refuse to be a part of any illegal activity; therefore, you can't help me." I turn to my wife. "Let's go."

As Bella gathers her things, J says, "Sit down, boy."

I stare at him in disbelief. He has got to be joking. "Fuck you," I sneer.

"I am the only shot you have at getting Jacob out of this alive. Without me, he's a dead man… you're not exactly safe and neither is your pretty wife. So, sit down… now."

I slam my hands down on the table and lean in to look this prick in the eye. "You do anything to hurt my family and I'll kill you with my bare hands, I swear it," I seethe.

J doesn't even flinch. He smiles and says, "I'm not the one you have to worry about. But I know who you do need to keep an eye on and I know how to beat them. You need me… you'd best remember that. I won't say it again… SIT DOWN."

Bella takes my arm just above the elbow. She tugs it gently. I reluctantly rise up; my eyes never leaving the lush sitting, smirking, in front of me. She pulls harder on my arm and I lean in so that she can whisper in my ear, all the while keeping my eyes trained on J.

"We should stay," she says through her teeth.

"No," I say loudly.

"Yes," she insists. She pulls me and I reluctantly turn from the scoundrel at the table.

"Why?" I whisper to her. "I don't like him. I don't trust him. I don't want to be associated with him and I sure as hell don't want you anywhere near him. Let's just go. I'll figure it out."

"No, you won't," J says with a chuckle. "You won't even be able to get discovery and I'm certain that any interrogatories you have will never be answered."

I turn to glare at him. "And I suppose that you know the magic words to get all of this done."

"I know who to talk to and who to avoid. I know where to go to get the truth. I know who to trust and who to not. This isn't my first time at the rodeo, boy."

"Stop calling me that," I say through clenched teeth. "I don't trust you."

"Fine," J says with a shrug. "I don't particularly trust you either. And for the record, we have a mutual dislike for each other. I think that you're an asshole just like your father. You know… the apple doesn't fall far and all."

"You don't know him," Bella defends me. "Edward is nothing like his father."

"Did you know Edward, Sr.?" J asks. Bella shakes her head. "Then you should shut up about things in which you know nothing."

I reach across the table and grab his shirt in my fist. "Disrespect my wife one more time, asshole. Do it. Please give me an excuse."

"There he is! Hello, Senior. See, you are just like him. Well with maybe one exception." He looks around the crowded Starbucks. "He wouldn't have had so many witnesses in attendance." He smiles a knowing smile.

I release him and look around. People are staring. I see Bella blush with embarrassment. I straighten my tie and jacket before I reach over to pull Bella's chair out for her to sit. I sit at the table again and stare at the man in front of me. I so long to punch the smirk off of his face. I glare at him and he smiles even wider.

J laughs. "You want to hit me, don't you?"

"Yes," I say in a voice barely above a whisper.

J laughs again. "There will be plenty of time for that after the trial." He smiles widely this time before he says, "I'll gladly let you beat me senseless when we're finished with our business. I won't even fight back."

Bella draws in a breath and I see her eyes go wide. "Why would you do that?" she asks.

J shrugs. "To make him feel better. To make _me_ feel better. I don't know. Maybe because I believe that I deserve it. Does it really matter?"

"Edward would never do anything like that," Bella says as she takes my hand. I wonder if she would be defending me if she knew that the thought of beating this son of a bitch to a bloody pulp is intriguing.

As if reading my thoughts, J says, "He's considering it."

I don't answer the question in Bella's expression. "Listen, I'm about done with this conversation. I need to see my brother. I need to talk with the AG who's pulled the case. I need to see what evidence that they have. In other words… I have shit to do. I just need to know where to start and what I need to do to get Jacob out of this. You tell me what I need to know and we'll never have to look at each other again."

"That's not how this works," J explains. "No one will talk to you. They don't know you. You need me. You have to hire me."

"I don't think so," I say. I can't believe that he would think that I would even consider it.

"Then I can't help you," he says and leans back in his chair.

"Wait," Bella says, "let's not be hasty. Explain what you mean by 'hire' you. What would that entail?"

"I can't work as an attorney… you know this… but I can work as a legal assistant or a paralegal. There are times when I will need to be 'officially' associated with you and the case to have access to people and materials. I can only do that if I'm working for you in some capacity. Otherwise, I'm just a citizen with a curiosity and I will be denied access.

"You have to 'hire' me to make it legit, but I will only use the credentials when absolutely necessary. All other times, I will be working strictly off the grid. The less you know about what I'm doing during those times the better it is for you. Rest assured that I won't do anything to jeopardize you or Jacob or Bella. I'm on your side. I want the truth to come out and Jacob to go free just as much as you do."

"I highly doubt that," I reply.

"Well, maybe not as much, but I do want him free. An innocent man should never go to prison for a crime he didn't commit."

"At least we can agree on that," I say. "So, if I 'hire' you, I suppose I have to pay you. How much?"

"Your father paid me fifty dollars an hour when I worked for him. Some of the other attorneys I've helped have paid more… some less. But it's always under the table. Cash only. I don't want to be on any payroll. I don't need any benefits or perks other than a box of business cards that says I work for you, which will only be used when absolutely necessary. Once our business is finished, you'll never see me again."

"Why is that?" Bella asks.

J grins. "I find that it's best that I disappear as soon as possible after a trial ends and stay away until I'm needed again or for as long as the money holds out. I'm not always popular right afterward and I like being alive."

"You could have fooled me," I mutter.

"I deserve to live with the misery and guilt of what I've done. Death would be a reward for me," he says and then looks down at the table. It's a long minute before he looks up and asks, "Do we have an understanding?"

"How do I know that I'm paying for the hours that you've worked? How do I know that you won't screw me?"

J sighs. "I hate to put it to you this way, but you're just going to have to trust me." I grunt. Not going to happen. He obviously notices my indignation. "This whole messy business won't work if we can't have some small level of trust with one another. We don't have to like each other. Hell, I hated your father and I haven't found many other attorneys that I've worked with to be very likable, but it isn't about us. We don't have to like each other. This is about Jacob and getting him home. That's the ultimate goal. Trust me enough to know that I won't do anything to harm an innocent man."

I turn to Bella. She nods her head and pats my hand.

"Forty dollars an hour… under the table… and you can guarantee that my brother goes free?" I ask.

"I can guarantee that I will do everything I know to do to help _you_ make that happen," he replies.

"So how does this work? Is there a contract…?"

"Fuck, no, boy!" he says a little too loudly. He leans in and lowers his voice. "No paper trail, damnit. I try to stay as far under the radar as humanly possible. I'll tell you when I need the money. You'll know I'm working because I'll produce product."

"And you'll be sober?" I ask.

He grins and says, "More or less. I won't be falling down drunk, but I can't just stop drinking. I'm too far gone, boy."

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that."

"We don't always get what we wish for, do we… boy?"

I can see that this is a battle that I'll never win and it's really not worth it. I figure that I can get some information from him today and then see where it goes from there. With no contract I can always tell him to take a hike if it isn't working out. I'm finding it hard to see what I have to lose. I need some help and he's offering it. If a better offer comes along I can always just dump this drunkard; no harm, no foul.

"Okay. Where do I start?"

"First, I'm going to give you a little legal lesson in Indian law enforcement." I roll my eyes. "I know, I know. You've been to law school; you've been practicing law for years. Trust me when I tell you that you can throw all of that 'knowledge' out the window.

"Indian tribes possess inherent sovereignty that can only be diminished by treaty or act of Congress."

"I know this," I interrupt.

"Can you shut up and let me finish?" He pauses for my reply. I nod and he continues. "Intrinsic in this sovereignty is a tribe's power to create and administer a criminal justice system. Indian tribes have criminal jurisdiction over their members within the limits of the reservation, subordinate only to the expressed limitations of federal law. Indian tribes do not have inherent criminal jurisdiction to arrest, try, or punish non-Indians and may not assume such jurisdiction unless specifically authorized to do so by Congress."

"Jacob is half Quileute," I remind him.

"Do you know what the tribe sees when they look at him? Lighter skin, lighter hair, and those ice blue eyes. To them, he's a pale face."

"Why wouldn't they want to try and sentence him themselves?" Bella asks. "It seems to me that if they wanted to exact revenge, that treating him as one of their own would be a better option."

"You'd think that, but a further impediment to tribal authority is the limited sentencing power of the tribal courts. They can't impose a sentence greater than three years or a fine of five thousand dollars… or both. The feds can give him life… or the needle."

I see Bella shudder. I don't like to think about it either, but if Jacob is charged with capital murder, then the death penalty would be on the table.

"It won't even be the feds trying him. The state attorney general will get this one. The FBI will investigate it, but ultimately it will be the state prosecuting.

"Just so you're aware, the FBI is going to do a shitty job of investigating this. They hate going on the reservations. They half-ass these things. The tribe is never cooperative. It's always a clusterfuck."

"Then how can you help?"

"I know people," he says with a grin. "Not everything that I do will always be legal." My expression must have changed, because he says, "What? What have you done?"

I glance over to Bella and smile sheepishly. "I might have gone with my father-in-law to the murder site. I might have taken some pictures."

"Of what?" he asks.

I shrug. "Nothing really, just the little numbered flags they use when they collect evidence."

J's face lights up. "That's great," he says. "Now we have proof if they try to withhold anything."

"I can't tell the state's attorney that I was there. I'll get in trouble. It could jeopardize Jacob's defense."

J smiles. "We'll figure it out. It's still great. Can you send them to me?" He pulls the pad I have in front of me toward him and scrawls down an e-mail address. "Where was the murder site?"

I explain as best as I can how to get there. "I think I know where that is. I'll go there tomorrow and have a look around. You may have missed something and I can promise you that the FBI did."

"That's all great and wonderful and I really appreciate the legal lesson, but I'd really like to get Jacob home today, if possible. Do you think that you could maybe help me with that?"

"You don't want Jacob to go home. You don't want him out of that jail cell or anywhere near that reservation until well after this trial is over. It would be in his best interest for us to not just prove his innocence, but to also find the real murderer before he goes home."

"Why is that?" Bella asks.

"Because if he's released today, then he'll be dead tomorrow. The Indians do so like their revenge."

**~*~*~*~*~SC~*~*~*~*~**

Sorry for the long wait. I have no excuse other than I started a new job and it's been kicking my butt. I'll try to do better. What do you guys think of J? Should Edward try to get Jacob out on bail anyway?


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